There are numerous systems for growing plants. Traditional plant growing systems that rely on soil or similar mediums are classified as geoponics. However, as is well known, soil is not actually required to grow plants. For example, a hydroponic system eliminates the need for soil and instead utilizes water containing essential nutrients as the growth media. Hydroponic systems can be more efficient than geoponic systems, as plants find it easier to take in nutrients from water than from soil and plant growth can be controlled by the nutrients made available to the plants. Aeroponic systems, which are less well known, go a step further by growing plants in an air and water mist environment.
In an aeroponic system, hanging plant roots are bathed in a nutrient-rich mist in a controlled and isolated environment. In this type of system, cultivators are not only able to have complete control of the nutrients supplied to the roots (i.e. the nutrient intake), but they are also able to allow the hanging plant roots to grow larger and to more easily absorb the nutrients and oxygen being supplied. There is also a reduced chance of root zone disease since there is no material for debris or pathogens to reside upon.
However, implementing an aeroponic system presents certain challenges to ensure the system provides complete control of nutrient intake. Many aeroponic systems are cumbersome and highly wasteful of nutrients. For an aeroponic system to be successful it is necessary that the system provide a consistent flow, or mist, of the nutrient solution to the root system of the plants. As is well known in the aeroponic industry, there are two general types of aeroponic systems: High Pressure Aeroponic (HPA) systems and Low Pressure Aeroponic (LPA) systems. High Pressure Aeroponic systems are much more complex than LPA systems because HPA systems are designed to produce a mist of atomized air (i.e., extremely tiny droplets on the order of 20-50 micrometers, or microns, emitted from relatively expensive machined mist heads on the order of 20-50 micrometers. Due to the microscopic diameter of the HPA system mist head apertures, great pressure must be exerted to drive nutrient solution through the mist heads. Commonly, this requires the use of a diaphragm pump, such as a reverse osmosis pump, requiring a pressure output on the order of about 80-150 psi. The high pressure is required to atomize the nutrient solution by driving it through a tiny spray nozzle. Such conventional HPA systems operate for brief time periods (i.e. commonly on the order of seconds) separated by relatively long time intervals. In stark contrast, low pressure aeroponic (LPA) systems such as the aeroponic recycling system of the present invention produce a continuous spray of nutrient solution drops in the form of a mist 308 directed toward the exposed plant roots. While both systems may produce a mist, it is well understood in the field that each pressure system has a unique mode of operation resulting in very different outcomes. In particular, a high pressure system produces a fog, or a fine mist, while a low pressure system produces droplets or spray. High pressure systems use high water pressure oftentimes supplied by a compressed air system, wherein the compressed air is funneled, or otherwise driven, through a misting apparatus to create a very fine nutrient mist, or a fog. High pressure systems are very sophisticated, expensive and oftentimes subject to clogging, requiring constant maintenance. In fact, advanced micron filters are commonly used in combination with the compressed air to attempt to prevent or at least minimize clogging. However, it is not uncommon for the filter to ultimately become clogged and the problem to persist.
Low pressure systems, on the other hand, are still able to provide a mist to the plant root system, while operating in a very different manner than their high pressure system counterparts. A lower pressure system generally includes an electric water pump that sprays a nutrient solution, much like a lawn sprinkler system. The water pump creates the necessary pressure to force the nutrient solution through a mister and/or sprinkler head, where the water is broken down into water droplets that are sprayed onto the plant roots. Housing an electric water pump within a nutrient-filled liquid environment introduces a great risk of electrical shock to handlers of aeroponic systems. Furthermore, the inclusion of water pumps within such a contained environment results in the generation and undesirable transfer of heat to the volume of water contained within the housing. As the water temperature increases, bacterial growth increases and the resulting bacteria in the water increase clogging of the solution within both the water pump and the mister, not to mention diminished water quality. While both low- and high-pressure systems have uniquely different configurations and methods of operation, they both require a great degree of surveillance/care and maintenance.
In order to properly aerate the nutrient solution being used, low pressure systems require the incorporation of an air pump that generally includes an air stone to gradually diffuse air into the system and maintain proper oxygen levels. However, the water pumps that are conventionally used are commonly located within the same contained environment as the plants themselves. As a result, it is not uncommon for the temperature of the water-based nutrient solution to increase as the water solution functions as a heat sink to cool the water pump during operational use. This increased temperature creates a breeding ground for bacterial growth within the system making the pump system as a whole (e.g. pump and mister) more susceptible to clogging. Furthermore, increased nutrient solution temperature also functions to negatively impact nutrient quality, which, in-turn, negatively affects the root systems of the plants. Furthermore, these types of low pressure systems are known to produce undesirable electrical shock to those handling them as electrical components are in close proximity to the contained liquid solution.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved aeroponic system that overcomes at least the aforementioned drawbacks, disadvantages and limitations of known aeroponic systems. In that regard, there has been a long-standing, as-of-yet unmet, need in the aeroponic industry for an aeroponic system that is less cumbersome than conventional systems, and incorporates a streamlined configuration/design that provides an enhanced plant root nutrient intake. It would be highly desirable to provide such a system that not only encourages more efficient use of the supplied nutrients, but also reduces the risk of electrical shock to system users and is less susceptible to clogging or undesirable heat exchange between, for example, a water pump and the typically-contained water. Preferably, such an aeroponic system would recycle unused nutrients while maintaining the cleanliness of the aeroponic device. An ideal system would be easy to manufacture and could be constructed at low cost using commonly available materials and efficient assembly practices.